Former players reunite in Wildcats alumni game

The Christmas holidays gave more than 30 former Southwest Wildcats the chance to reunite in their annual alumni game at Forest Glade Arena Thursday night.

Dave Moore, head coach of the Wildcats, started the program 10 years ago and has seen many girls grow since. The team has seen great female hockey players such as Meghan Agosta, Shannon Bowman and Jennifer Hitchcock.

“This is probably our best showing we had in the last 10 years,” Moore said. “It’s great to see them. Some are mothers, some are professionals in the field and some of the girls are still playing at a high level.”

Hitchcock, 25, played for the Wildcats from 2001-04 and has spent a year playing in Zürich, Switzerland for the ZSC Lions. After she finished her Masters of Education degree at Castleton State College in Vermont, she is now the assistant coach at Neumann University in Pennsylvania.

She said she has career aspirations of being a head coach in the University level, but is enjoying getting her feet wet and getting the experience at Neumann University.

Hitchcock said she learned a lot playing for the Wildcats.

“Most of us grew up playing five years old and up for the Wildcats,” Hitchcock said. “That’s where we got all the passion and the love for the game which we all have since we come back here every year.”

She said playing in the Wildcats annual alumni game is one of the main highlights during the time off for Christmas.

“I’m home to visit my parents for the holidays,” Hitchcock said. “This is kind of part of our holiday. It’s becoming a routine for all of us. We like to do this every year.”

Candice Rapchuck, 22, played for the Wildcats from 2004-07 and is now the captain for the University of Windsor’s Lancers.

Playing for the Wildcats, Rapchuck said, has taught hard work, perseverance and pursuing goals, not just for hockey but for anything she wants to do.

“I would love to continue playing hockey. I know there’s the Canadian Women’s Hockey League,” Rapchuck said. “I know there’s not a lot of an opportunity for girls to continue hockey once they finish school. I would love to keep playing in some sort of capacity.”

Not having many female hockey teams is a disappointing factor for them, according to Moore. The 18-team Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is the only junior female hockey league in Canada.

“We’re very proud of our program,” Moore said. “We feel we’re probably one of the best running programs in the PWHL with how we treat our players.”

Smith, 26, teaches Grades 4-5 at Wheatley Area Public School and runs a skating program through the school. She said the 2004-06 Wildcats was great hockey and she brought what she learned to her small town.

“It’s great to see where the older ones have gone,” Smith said. “I look forward to the 2012 alumni crew.”

Joel Boyce is a journalism student at St. Clair College who is interning at The Star. He is a regular blogger on SpitsPlus, the Star’s hockey site.

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